The concept of innovative disruption first became mainstream thanks to a book written by Clayton Christensen titled The Innovator’s Dilemma. Several other books have since been written to add to the growing bit of knowledge in this area of disruptive business innovation. One of them is How to be a Digital Platform Leader. Another is Are Technology Companies Ripe for Disruption. Yet another is On Target: Rethinking the Retail Website. One book with a seminal impact was How Disruptive Innovation changes Education. How Big Companies can Outrun Disruption is yet one more. To complete this list, there is The Three Types of Leaders who create Radical Change.

Source:https://hbswk.hbs.edu/item/the-manager-s-guide-to-leveraging-disruption?cid=spmailing-28653279-WK%20Newsletter%2008-21-2019%20(1)-August%2021,%202019

Uploaded Date:29 August 2019

It is now well- established that the next economic downturn is probably on the horizon. Companies, brands and individuals need to be prepared for the same, in a way that they can end up as winners during this round. Three key steps need to be mastered, in order to thrive during this period of uncertainty. To survive, one needs to maintain viability. Acting early is thus needed, so the brand can focus on the next downturn, and not on the last one. Then one has to perform, so building resilience becomes key. Changes to the talent management structure is crucial to this, so that flexibility gets built in. To thrive, one needs to work on increasing the vitality. A long- term perspective has to be worked on.

Source:https://www.bcg.com/featured-insights/how-to/prepare-for-downturn.aspx

Uploaded Date:26 August 2019

A number of artists who fail to get their cash counters ticking, take solace in the belief that future generations will rediscover their work. Humans tend to think of artistic tastes a random set, though there are networks that help gauge the creative concepts as well. Hits and misses are not random, but follow a pattern. The fashion industry brings this perspective in to focus. Business intelligence provided by the Worth Global Style Network (WGSN) has provided a clear understanding on what trends have worked and which haven’t over the past more than two decades. Tastes have also varied seasonally. The floral look for instance is a part of a deeply embedded element. Concepts of design thinking are now being widely adapted not just in the fashion industry, but also elsewhere. Professionals in the creative areas must not look at these findings as the magic formula. But it helps them plan for platform strategies, so they may combine their aesthetic abilities with the broader cultural preferences of the time.

Source:https://knowledge.insead.edu/leadership-organisations/creative-concepts-have-networks-too-11976

Uploaded Date:26 August 2019

It has now widely been acknowledged that diversity is the need of the hour on corporate boards. This diversity is not just about race or ethnicity, but also about gender, as more women are needed at the very top. If one analyses the hierarchy of skills required at the board level, they may broadly be divided in to two categories. One is the IQ and hard skills, encompassing problem solving, finance and writing. But hard skills are superseded by EQ and soft skills. This involves coaching, management training, empathy, trust building, strategic influence and interpersonal communication. Women tend to have an advantage in the latter set of skills. The pace of this change has to be quickened. Board level women can also act as role models to a wider audience. It will also help stem the erosion of trust, now common to businesses.

Source:https://knowledge.insead.edu/blog/insead-blog/women-chairs-the-time-is-now-11671

Uploaded Date:26 August 2019

It has often been lamented on how trust has been getting eroded from business. There is now a dire need to work on this. For this a proper framework needs to be fitted for each key stakeholder group. There are economic, legal and ethical promises for each. The first major stakeholders are the customers. They need to be provided with life- enhancing services and products. Industry regulations and customer protection laws need to be abided by. Risks need to be disclosed, while mistakes to them must be remedied. The next group is the employees. The right talent management practices need to be followed so that labour anti- discriminatory practices are followed, safety concerns are addressed and everyone gets treated fairly. Due provisions must be made for employees’ management training needs. Investors come next. Their risks need to be managed, while also ensuring the provision of the due returns. Material information needs proper disclosure and fiduciary duties followed. Insider trading must be a complete no. Employees too need to be trained on how to connect with investors. The last major group is the broader society. Employment and economic opportunities must be on top of the pile. Local and federal level laws have to be followed. The business must also show its care for the environment and public health. One could start off by setting the industry standards.

Source:https://hbr.org/cover-story/2019/07/the-trust-crisis

Uploaded Date:26 August 2019

GE is no longer as big a company as it used to be, but might as well revive just as IBM did in the 1990s. But for sure, the GE Model is no more. Several reasons exist for the eventual demise of this model. A top contended for this is the Chinese strategy followed not just by China, but also by several other countries, such as Japan, South Korea, India and Brazil. The rise of Silicon Valley is another reason, as it signalled the prominence of software over pure manufacturing which GE represented. At the company’s peak, GE’s practices were widely adopted by business schools for training the MBA students. This led to much replication of the same techniques across the board. Private equity and the new capital markets did not help. These ended up challenging the traditional hegemony of the conglomerates such as GE, demanding greater transparency. Conglomerates still thrive in the developing countries though. The final killer the Great Recession of the previous decade. The spread of professional management, the tech revolution increased competition worldwide and investor power were all fallouts of this recession.

Source:https://hbr.org/2018/07/who-killed-the-ge-model

Uploaded Date:26 August 2019

There has to be a general understanding that the world’s most successful brands have a mission beyond mere profits. They must help solve everyday problems, as well as major ones. This should ideally be included as part of the company’s vision statement. Alliances need be built between brands, culture creators and non- profit firms. A consortium has thus been curated, titled as the Conspiracy of Love. Besides other services, it will also provide business consulting help to all kinds of companies, big and small. It will also act as an idea accelerator, so that culture and technology may be used to generate new innovations.

Source:https://conspiracyoflove.co/

Uploaded Date:16 August 2019